Edmund l



(No Model.) 7

E.-L. ZALINSKI.

METHOD OF FIRING GUNS AND CHARGE THEREFOR.

No. 537,882. Patented Apr. 23,1895:

.rrn STATES rare.

EDMUND L. ZALINSKI, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

METHOD OF FIRING GUNS AND CHARGE THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 537,882, dated April23, 1895. Application filed November 6, 1890- Serial No. 370,436. (Nomodel.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDMUND L. ZALINSKI, of the United States Army,residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain newand usefullmprovements in Methods of Firing Guns and Charges Therefor,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawlugs.

This invention heavy guns, therefor.

The object of the invention is to regulate the burning of a powdercharge in a gun so that the gas pressure produced may be proportioned tothe work to be performed, and to place it within the'power of the gunnerto vary the pressure produced, after the cartridge is in the gun; alsoto produce a cartridge adapted to carry out saidmethod.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the rear portion of a gun,with cartridge in place, the cartridge being partly in elevation andpartly in section. Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of gun. Fig. 3 is afront end View of cartridge. Fig. 4 is a broken end of follower orplunger. Fig. 5 is a central section of shell for charge section. Fig. 6is a section of shell with diaphragm, and Fig. 7 is a plan of thediaphragm. Fig. 8 is a detail of gas check screw thread.

The numeral 1 indicates the barrel of a large gun, of any suitable orusual construction.

2 denotes the breech block shown to be a screw breech, but the breechmay close in any suitable manner.

The cartridge casing or body 3 is a strong cylinder, having alongitudinal passage or developing chamber 4 extending from end to end.A large number of radial chambers 5, extend from the surface of the body3 to the central passage of the developing chamber 4. These chambers 5are preferably tapered, the large end being outward. The chambers 5 arearranged spirally, and their inner ends open into the bottom of a deeplycut female screw thread 6, the groove of the thread being at least aswide as the diameter of the mouths of chambers 5. The chambers 5 are ofthe shape to receive tapering cartridge shells 10, which may be like theshells used in relates to a method of firing and a powder charge orcartridge small arms, but without bullets. The shells 10 if metallic maybe covered or lined with paper or other non-conducting material 11 andcan be applied to the chambers 5 as they are usually applied to thechamber of a gun or cylinder of a revolver, and extracting means ofsuitable character may be used, as for instance, wires or strips 30 inspiral grooves about the cartridge body.

The shells 10 are filled with a powder cake compressed into the shell sohard that it will not crumble under the pressure developed in firing,and the ends of the shells need not be closed, as the powder will remainin the shells, but the end of the shell may be covered with acombustible water-proof material.

A certain proportion of the shells, as alternate ones for instance, maybe closed by a diaphragm or shield (Z, of brittle material, which willrupture when the pressure in chamber 4 reaches a predetermined amount,but will protect the charge until such pressure is reached. The shieldmay be weakened along the lines e, e, and by lengthening these lines, ormaking them deeper, the breaking strain of the diaphragm will bedetermined. The diaphragms are held a little away from the powdercharge, as by a ringf. A plunger or cut off 15 extends into the centralchamber4t from the rear. This plunger is provided with a broad malescrew thread 16, which enters the threads of the passage 4:. The plunger15 may be turned forward or backward, to cover more or less of thecharged shells 10. The front end of the plunger is cupped or otherwiseshaped at 17 to form a gas check, and the end of the thread terminatesabruptly, and may have a gas check, such as an elastic plate, attached,as at 19, (Fig. 4..) The plunger 15 passes through the breech block 2,and may be screw threaded therein, or may pass loosely, as theengagement with the cartridge body should be enough to hold the plungerfrom blowing out to the rear. The thread may have its front edge or bothedges under cut as at Fig. 8 throughout a considerable part of itslength, as shown at q, Fig. 8, thus making an effective gas check. Thefrontof the plunger or cut off will carrya small igniting charge 18,which can be fired by an electric primer connected to wires 20, or theigniting charge can be fired with a primer in any usual manner.

The object of dividing the powdercharg e, instead of using thecontentsof all the shells 10 as a single charge, is to produceuniformity of combustion and pressure. The object of tapering the chargesections. is to give increased combustion surface as the projectilemoves forward in the gun.

The cartridge body 3 is charged by loading a shell 10 into each chamber5. Then if it'be desirable to produce the maximum effect, the front ofthe plunger 15 is left at the rear of the chamber 4:, so that-allthecharges .10 are ignited and burn at once whencharge 18 is fired; but ifit is desirable to fire with less pressure, the plunger 15 may bescrewed in by means of crank 21, andcaused to cover more orless of thecharges 10. The gas check at the front of the plunger s'hould'preventthe ignition of the charges 10 covered by the plunger, and thenon-conducting coveringto said charges prevents-the ignition by heat.

It is frequently desirable to change the pressure, as when firing witha'gun at a fixed elevation. By the cartridge -or charge describedI amable to reduce or increase-tho effective firing charge with greatexactness.

The plunger 15 bears a pointer 22, which-indicates on a scale on thebreech how many cartridges are exposed to tire. Other indicating devicesmay be readily substituted.

I indicate the screw plunger as merely one of many devices for reachingthe result. A plunger actuated by hydraulic means would have the sameeffect. In'fact many ways will readily suggest themselves to'theex-pertmechanician for charging the effective powder charge without removing itfrom the gun, when once the subject isinvestigated.

What I claim -is 1. That improvement in the artof-gunnery,

which consists in loading the gun with the maximum explosive charge,-andif desirable,

before firingycutting off or neutralizing apart of the explosive chargewithout removing it from the gun, so thatless than the maximum effectmay be produced on theprojectile, substantially as described.

2. A cartridge havinga plurality of charge sections,'and a movable cutoff under control ofthe gunner in position to cover or shut otf fromcombustion more or lessofsaid sections, substantially as described.

thread in the 3. The combination with a cartridge having a plurality ofcharge sections, and a movable cut off whereby some of the sections canbe shut out from communication with the developing chamber and retainedunburned, of an indicator showing the position of the cut off.

4. The combination with the cartridge case having a plurality of chargesections, communicating with a screw threaded developing chamber, of ascrew plunger engaging the developing chamber.

5. The combination with a cartridge body having a number of chargesections communicating with a single developing chamber, of a movableplunger in said chamber and provided with a gas check.

6. The combination with the cartridge body having a central passage andscrew thread therein, and side chambers opening into the bottom of saidthreads, of a screw plunger moving in said central chamber, and a gascheck at the end of said plunger.

7. The combination with the cartridge body having a developing chamberand a plurality of charge chambers communicating therewith, .of separatecartridge shells for these chambers, and a non-conducting materialseparating the powder charge in said charge chambers from the maincartridge body, to prevent heat radiation, substantially as de scribed.

8. The combination with'the cartridge body having a developing chamberand a plurality of charge chambers all communicating therewith, ofseparate cartridge cases entering said charge chambers and anextractorengaging said shells, all substantially as'described.

9. The combination with the screw threaded cartridge body, of the screwthreaded plunger havingits threads undercut,substantially as described.

10. The combination with the cartridge body, of separate charge sectionstherein, a proportion of said charge sections being protected fromignition by a shield which breaks at a predetermined pressure.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND L. ZALINSKI. XVitnesses:

W. A. BARTLETT, PHILIP MAURO.

